High on Summertime
Like the fruit?
Charlie didn’t want to be up, she really didn’t want to wake up but the bright sun coming in through her window wouldn’t allow her to drift off once again. She groaned and cursed the sun as she dug under her pillow and found her phone to check the time. It was ten o’clock which meant it was only seven in San Diego. She groaned again and put the pillow over her head hoping that might help her sleep. Charlie knew it was a lost cause so she gave up and could actually hear her grandmother in the kitchen.
She shook the covers off of her and slid off of her bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom. Charlie didn’t bother with her appearance and just brushed her teeth. When she got into the kitchen there were fresh muffins on the table and Charlie was really starting to think that her parents plan to send her to hell was backfiring. She’s only been with her grandmother for two days and she’s already been spoiled with graduation gifts and home cooked meals. Charlie wasn’t sure why her grandmother was being so nice to her especially with the laundry list of bad things Charlie has done the past couple of years. She questioned her about it when she first arrived and her grandmother told her that since she hasn’t seen Charlie in so long, she deserved some spoiling.
“Morning dear, how’d you sleep?”
Charlie shrugged. “Okay. Thanks for breakfast.”
“Of course. Do you think you could do me a favor today?”
“Sure.”
“I need you to bring this to Watson’s and give this to Lemon. Her mom has been asking for this cook book and I finally found another copy for her.”
“Lemon? Like the fruit?”
“Yes, like the fruit.”
“Her name is Lemon?”
“It’s a nickname. Please, Charlie?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. Now I’ve got to get ready for my shift. Remember Watson’s, go around noon.”
“Right, give it to the fruit.”
Her grandmother sighed and left the kitchen, not bothering to correct her again. Charlie finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen so her grandmother wouldn’t have to do it after work.
In the midst of her cleaning her grandmother left reminding her yet again about the book. When she was done cleaning she watched some tv in her room and texted Kyle, trying to get him to wake up. She laid in bed for a good hour and a half until she finally got up and showered. She changed into one of her many tank tops, shorts and her gray vans. Charlie slipped her wallet into her back pocket, her phone into her front pocket and her sunglasses on her head, keeping her hair from her face. Charlie grabbed the cook book from the kitchen table and the spare keys from the counter before finally leaving.
The walk to Watson’s wasn’t terrible but with each step she was wishing more and more that she had her skateboard; her parents took it when they grounded her and sent her to stay with her grandmother. When she got there she was pretty sure she got a little tan and she was in desperate need of water. Before going to find Lemon, she got a water and tried paying for it with the credit card her parents gave her a few years ago. The card was declined making Charlie feel angry and embarrassed. She called her father who of course didn’t answer. Charlie left a voicemail and finally went in search of Lemon, asking another associate where she was.
Coincidentally she was in the fruit section. Charlie tried her best not to roll her eyes at Lemon’s appearance but she couldn’t help it. Lemon has long blond hair and big green eyes. She’s wearing a yellow sun dress and sandals. She looks well, she kind of looks like a lemon.
“Are you Lemon?” Charlie asked as she walked up to her.
Lemon turned around and smiled. “That’s me, what can I do for ya?”
“My grandmother, Martha Rodgers, wanted me to give this to you for your mom. Something about getting a new copy for her or something.”
“Oh! That’s great. My mom will be so happy. Your grandmother is just the sweetest,” Lemon took the book from Charlie and smiled showing off her perfectly white teeth. “You must be Charlotte. Grandma Rodgers told us you were coming down for the summer.”
Charlie didn’t know why this Lemon girl was calling her grandmother ‘grandma Rodgers’ and she was pretty sure she didn’t like it. “Right well here I am. And it’s Charlie not Charlotte.”
“Oh okay, I’m so sorry. Well if you need anything Charlie, I work here practically every day and I live just down the road from you guys. We can hang out sometimes and I can show you around Benton.”
Charlie held her tongue from saying just turning in a circle she could see all of Benton. “Right. I should let you get back to work,” Charlie said starting to back away.
“Alright, have a good day then. And don’t be shy!” Lemon gave her a big smile and Charlie found herself smiling back automatically.
Charlie turned finally and headed to the exit to walk back to her grandmothers. Charlie didn’t think the temperature would be so different than San Diego but it definitely is. The humidity was making the 85 degree weather feel more like a hundred degrees. Charlie got to her grandmother’s apartment and drank a full glass of cold water and took another shower due to how sticky and smelly she felt. Charlie stayed inside for the rest of the day and texted Kyle on and off, trying not to be too homesick. She did do this to herself in a way so she would have to live with the consequences.
She shook the covers off of her and slid off of her bed and walked into the adjoining bathroom. Charlie didn’t bother with her appearance and just brushed her teeth. When she got into the kitchen there were fresh muffins on the table and Charlie was really starting to think that her parents plan to send her to hell was backfiring. She’s only been with her grandmother for two days and she’s already been spoiled with graduation gifts and home cooked meals. Charlie wasn’t sure why her grandmother was being so nice to her especially with the laundry list of bad things Charlie has done the past couple of years. She questioned her about it when she first arrived and her grandmother told her that since she hasn’t seen Charlie in so long, she deserved some spoiling.
“Morning dear, how’d you sleep?”
Charlie shrugged. “Okay. Thanks for breakfast.”
“Of course. Do you think you could do me a favor today?”
“Sure.”
“I need you to bring this to Watson’s and give this to Lemon. Her mom has been asking for this cook book and I finally found another copy for her.”
“Lemon? Like the fruit?”
“Yes, like the fruit.”
“Her name is Lemon?”
“It’s a nickname. Please, Charlie?”
“Yeah, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you. Now I’ve got to get ready for my shift. Remember Watson’s, go around noon.”
“Right, give it to the fruit.”
Her grandmother sighed and left the kitchen, not bothering to correct her again. Charlie finished eating and cleaned up the kitchen so her grandmother wouldn’t have to do it after work.
In the midst of her cleaning her grandmother left reminding her yet again about the book. When she was done cleaning she watched some tv in her room and texted Kyle, trying to get him to wake up. She laid in bed for a good hour and a half until she finally got up and showered. She changed into one of her many tank tops, shorts and her gray vans. Charlie slipped her wallet into her back pocket, her phone into her front pocket and her sunglasses on her head, keeping her hair from her face. Charlie grabbed the cook book from the kitchen table and the spare keys from the counter before finally leaving.
The walk to Watson’s wasn’t terrible but with each step she was wishing more and more that she had her skateboard; her parents took it when they grounded her and sent her to stay with her grandmother. When she got there she was pretty sure she got a little tan and she was in desperate need of water. Before going to find Lemon, she got a water and tried paying for it with the credit card her parents gave her a few years ago. The card was declined making Charlie feel angry and embarrassed. She called her father who of course didn’t answer. Charlie left a voicemail and finally went in search of Lemon, asking another associate where she was.
Coincidentally she was in the fruit section. Charlie tried her best not to roll her eyes at Lemon’s appearance but she couldn’t help it. Lemon has long blond hair and big green eyes. She’s wearing a yellow sun dress and sandals. She looks well, she kind of looks like a lemon.
“Are you Lemon?” Charlie asked as she walked up to her.
Lemon turned around and smiled. “That’s me, what can I do for ya?”
“My grandmother, Martha Rodgers, wanted me to give this to you for your mom. Something about getting a new copy for her or something.”
“Oh! That’s great. My mom will be so happy. Your grandmother is just the sweetest,” Lemon took the book from Charlie and smiled showing off her perfectly white teeth. “You must be Charlotte. Grandma Rodgers told us you were coming down for the summer.”
Charlie didn’t know why this Lemon girl was calling her grandmother ‘grandma Rodgers’ and she was pretty sure she didn’t like it. “Right well here I am. And it’s Charlie not Charlotte.”
“Oh okay, I’m so sorry. Well if you need anything Charlie, I work here practically every day and I live just down the road from you guys. We can hang out sometimes and I can show you around Benton.”
Charlie held her tongue from saying just turning in a circle she could see all of Benton. “Right. I should let you get back to work,” Charlie said starting to back away.
“Alright, have a good day then. And don’t be shy!” Lemon gave her a big smile and Charlie found herself smiling back automatically.
Charlie turned finally and headed to the exit to walk back to her grandmothers. Charlie didn’t think the temperature would be so different than San Diego but it definitely is. The humidity was making the 85 degree weather feel more like a hundred degrees. Charlie got to her grandmother’s apartment and drank a full glass of cold water and took another shower due to how sticky and smelly she felt. Charlie stayed inside for the rest of the day and texted Kyle on and off, trying not to be too homesick. She did do this to herself in a way so she would have to live with the consequences.